OSCE Calls On Parties: Find Compromise, Close Reform Ideally By May 31

OSCE Calls On Parties: Find Compromise, Close Reform Ideally By May 31

The President of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Bernd Borchardt, has congratulated the political parties for resuming the dialogue on electoral reform and for the agreements reached so far in the Political Council.

Through a statement, he urged all parties in the Political Council for Electoral Reform to continue on the path of finding constructive compromises and finalize electoral reform, for the good of Albania and its aspirations for integration.

Borchardt also said the ODIHR would provide support for concluding the reform on May 31st.

Full statement:

Dear colleagues,

The President of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Ambassador Bernd Borchardt, made the following statement on the eve of today's meeting of the Political Council.

"I congratulate the Albanian political parties for resuming the dialogue on electoral reform and for the agreements reached so far in the Political Council, where a dialogue has been established between the government, the parliamentary opposition and the non-parliamentary one.

We are following with particular interest the efforts of the parties to compromise on issues which the OSCE/ODIHR has assessed as problematic for many years now:

depoliticization of the election administration, gender balance in electoral lists, setting up a special structure to eliminate pressure on the administration and misuse of state resources, stronger mechanisms against electoral crime, control and transparency of campaign financing, transparency of the media during elections and the end of the practice of so-called ready-made tapes.

At the same time, electoral reform should not undermine the integrity of other important reforms.

I urge all parties in the Political Council for Electoral Reform to continue to walk the path of finding constructive compromises and finalize electoral reform, for the good of Albania and its aspirations for integration.

The OSCE presence in Albania and the ODIHR will continue to provide support for the completion of this important reform as soon as possible, ideally by 31 May, as promised by the political parties.

We will also continue to support dialogue on new voting technologies and the change of the electoral system."

The next meeting of the Political Council for Electoral Reform will be held today at 17:00.

EMISIONET